Senate confirms Fed chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term.

For the past few weeks, the Senate has been debating whether to give Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke another term. Bernanke was long thought to be easily re-confirmed, but the vote became contentious after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) placed a hold on the nominee and senators on both sides of the aisle — such as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) — began questioning whether he deserved a second term. Today, the Senate voted 70–30 to confirm the chairman once again: